Sir, – Matthew A Harmey’s letter is both retrogressive and yet illuminating (April 3rd). In his view all people against open field GM trials are Luddites: all people for it are rational and progressive citizens.
I am disappointed at the lack of sophistication in the argument on both sides of this debate; I am neutral, but intensely interested in the issue as the potential benefits of GM are great, but so are the risks. As Mr Harmey pointed out, research in this area is only 30 years old. Having open field trials, however, is risky and is very different to laboratory conditions in terms of a contamination risk. At the moment we are, in theory, a GM-crop-free island. Consumer sentiment in the EU is against GM crops – perhaps that is a good niche to cultivate for the long term. – Yours, etc,